Novel Optical Materials and Applications

Book excerpt: The discussion of semiconductors focuses on nanostructures and quantized structures, which possess very high density optoelectronics data- and signal-processing capabilities. They also enable the creation of ever more efficient and broad spectral range lasers and optoelectronics devices. The many applications of liquid crystals have lately been expanded by the discovery of both new material systems and new phenomena. The new systems/phenomena discussed here include dye-doped liquid crystals and waveguide structures. Polymeric materials are viewed in the light of their electro-optical and nonlinear optical properties, which have been exploited in the latest achievements in ultrafast devices for optical modulations and efficient wavelength conversion processes and structures.